“Renew the dialogue. » This is exactly what Marie-France hopes for when she gets angry reading everyone's comments on social networks. ““He’s an idiot”; ““He doesn’t understand anything”… The formulas are too often terse and without substance”, she regrets. She therefore signed up for the “We need to talk” project with the desire for a breath of fresh air. “Relations between Internet users are far too violent, deplores the septuagenarian, avid reader of numerous press titles online, but also of Telerama, International mail and scientific journals… However, in our complex society, debate is necessary. »
His career has been punctuated, by necessity, with debates, dialogues and compromises. A university professor specializing in computer science, Marie-France has long worked on the links between cognitive sciences and computer science. Former executive director and then president of the University of Toulouse from 2008 to 2016, she was led to lead long meetings at the end of which concrete solutions had to be found. “I had to ensure that boards of directors and offices were places where we could debate, even in cases of disagreement, which happened regularly. I have often succeeded, but not every time,” she admits.
A limit to his empathy, racism
For the debate on November 23, Marie-France knows her strengths, as well as her limitations. “I’m listening. I'm not the type to show up and assert my truth, I try to understand the person, I try to capture the emotions that make them think that. » Driven by issues affecting women, politics, or equality, Marie-France, who is also an opposition municipal councilor in her village, imagined the ideal debate. “I would like to be able to talk about subjects on which our opinions differ and see if a third way is possible beyond our disagreements. »
Marie-France is convinced of this: “When we gain a little perspective, we find an exit point. » When she was younger, she remembers being more radical. “But that closed the debate,” she realized while accumulating disappointments. Then experience showed him that letting people express themselves, seeking words that unite them, allowed us to move forward more peacefully.
“In my job, I have dealt with all political currents, from the most left to the most right. I always come to the conclusion that it is better to debate than to argue! » As November 23 approaches, Marie-France still has questions. “Will I have enough affinity with this person to debate? » She hopes so while knowing the limits of her empathy, which she will not cross. “I have a problem with racism, she warned. If I come across someone who hates the other, a dialogue lasting an hour or two will not be possible. »
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